A Blizzard at the Beach

Having just returned from enjoying some lovely warm sunshine in Fuerteventura, here are some pictures I took when I was in Iceland in February. Quite a contrast.

When traveling through Vik (pronounced Vig) in Iceland, you can’t fail to notice the rock stacks that extend from the cliff into the sea. These rocks are known as Reynisdrangar.

The black beach at Vik can get very busy as can the beach at Reynisfjara just to the west of Vik with people wanting to view the rocks but a short drive east, just out of town and by negotiating a very rutted and decidedly icy and snowy track, I found myself on the beach with not another soul in sight. Just how I like it.

This blizzard had been following us along the coast all day, it was finally making landfall and as ever, the road conditions got interesting thereafter..

24mm ff/11 1/60 sec. ISO-100

f/11 1/50 sec. ISO-100

In the picture below, hundreds of sea birds took to the air appearing like specs of dust on my lens.45mm f/22 1/100 sec. ISO-100

70mm f/11 1/200 sec. ISO-100

..And as always seems to happen whenever I get near a beach, even a beach at -10ºC or 14ºf with a fearsome windchill, I got wet. Whilst focusing on the rocks, literally, a wave curled around and snuck up behind me…

Wonderful photos, looks like an amazing place. I can just imagine myself being there, wanting to stay on that beach to appreciate the beauty and solitude, and yet also desperately wanting to escape the cold and get back to a nice warm hotel! :-)

Thank you Mark. I sent a text to a friend back in the UK at the time, it was a photography day. One of those rare days when you just can’t help but come away with some great pictures. I’m still working through them. I have to say, I was glad of the 32GB memory cards I have in both cameras. That said, as I process the pictures I see my available storage diminishing. I’m going to need yet another hard drive very soon. I’ve already had to install a PCI USB rack in my computer to accommodate the drives I have. ;-)

I tried one of these personal cloud storage hard drives (fancy terminology for wireless) it was useless because it took so long to transfer large photo files and doing a backup took hours and usually failed. It went back and I got two wired hard drives instead….much more stable and secure. Fortunately the cost of memory is considerably cheaper now than it was say 10 years ago.

It certainly is Mark, cheaper and on the whole, more reliable. The problem with Windows is it can only handle 2GB drives so when you see a 4GB drive, you know in reality it’s 2 x 2GB in a box so no advantage. I’d really like a mini server under the stairs but that really is expensive but again, getting cheaper. Having said more reliable though, I’ve just had a wired hard drive fail, as has a friend. I’m still trying to recover what was on it. I’ve a feeling it was mainly back-ups but I can’t be sure :-/ I’ve tried everything and used all the tools I can think of but Windows is just not seeing it.
I’m not terribly organised, I file by date and I seem to have the last four years covered so hopefully, it was just duplicates of files I was trying to organise in a slightly more meaningful way.

You surely seem to enjoy solitary places where you can capture the splendour of Mother Nature in your own, special, beautiful way. These are gorgeous photos, and yes, quite different from the landscapes you captured in Fuenteventura.

Thank you very much Otto! You’re so right, by seeking solitude in the landscape, I really feel at my best, most connected, and I’m sure that is reflected in the photograhs I am then able to produce. It’s not that I don’t like people, far from it. It’s just the way I like to work, by doing things this way I feel better able to distill nature in the raw and convert that into a two dimensional and yet, at the same time, multi-dimensional image.

Thank you Trees. It was very cold indeed. They say never turn your back on the sea when you’re close. It’s great advice. I didn’t have my back to the water but I was so wrapped up in the photos I was taking, I really didn’t spot the sudden surge. I soon dried out but it was a little uncomfortable for a while! :-)

Remarkable images. In the top on the vertical stalks look like they are all leaning towards the vague blur of the sky. The third one almost looks like a movie set. That flip of waves in the 4th one could be nature can-can dance.
Lovely

Thank you Karen. I really could have stayed on that beach all afternoon. The sea was so wild, as was the sky. The birds were soaring, diving, clearly enjoying the conditions as I was. I was beaten though when I got wet. I had to beat my retreat to the warmth of the car. :-)

Hello Carol, thank you, such a lovely compliment. I don’t have a driver. Me and my friend, friends on several trips, hire 4x4s at the airport and over time, we’ve gained a lot of experience in dealing with quite extreme conditions. We’ve had a few close calls, the driving on this trip was particularly difficult due to rapid thaws and refreezing creating a lot of slush which is really horrible to drive in. We managed however and notched up a bit more experience. :-)

The Stacks at the end of the headland are extraordinary – they remind me of the Buttes in Monument Valley in a strange way. Spectacular seascapes, and I love the contrast of the sow against the dark volcanic sand. Another stunning place in dramatic weather.

I am a sucker for storms and the coast, so when you put the two together something magical is bound to happen, and this is exactly what you have captured. A bit chilly and miserable weatherwise to be out shooting, but I am guessing with camera in hand, you felt there was nowhere better to be!

Once I’m behind the lens Randall I don’t feel the cold, the wind, I’m just so wrapped up in the moment as I know you are when taking pictures. It was one of the reasons for taking up photography, as a distraction from the difficulties with MS. I never in my wildest dreams realised just how good a distraction it was to become to the point where in Iceland, in super sub-zero temperatures, I’ve had to be reminded I’m out of the car and don’t have a coat on. :-)

You’ve defined the passion of photography with this comment Adrian ~ simply perfect. Best part “in super sub-zero temperatures, I’ve had to be reminded I’m out of the car and don’t have a coat on” And then take a look at your images, and this is the result of your passion. Wonderful work you do produce!

Thank you so much Noeline. I was really in my element out there but when that wave caught me, I knew is was time to get back to the car. It’s not the first time we’ve driven around Iceland with my socks hanging from the dashboard and the vents blasting out warm air. Surprisingly, this is an extremely efficient way to dry socks and wet trousers! :-)

As ever Dina I was so involved in what I was doing I really didn’t see that wave. I certainly felt it! Not for the first time I was travelling on Icelandic roads with socks draped over the heater vents in the car! Thanks for your lovely comment. Have a fabulous weekend! :-) x

April 16, 2016 at 2:58 pm

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